Ruth Bancroft Garden visit, September 2023

A couple of weeks ago, my friend Kyle and I stopped at the Ruth Bancroft Garden in Walnut Creek for a long overdue visit. The timing was perfect because the garden looked stunning. As we all know, this doesn’t just happen as if by magic – it’s the result of the hard work and dedication of the RBG’s garden crew and volunteers. Kudos to them for all they do. Too often, their efforts are taken for granted. On that note, let’s dive in. This is a photo-heavy post so get comfy in your chair/couch/bed or wherever you may be reading this. Spectacular Agave ovatifolia ‘Vanzie’ right inside the entrance This bed, one of the newer ones, has become one of my favorites. I’d be so thrilled if this were in my own garden. This marvelous blob of green is Casuarina ‘Cousin It’, a prostrate form of the Australian swamp oak. In spite of the cultivar name, it’s unrelated to Acacia ‘Cousin Itt’ (with two t’s). Agave utahensis var. eborispina growing in a crevice between two rocks. The yellow flowers on